More Flowers and Some Veggies

More flowers have just been waiting for a little sun. There was a little break in the humidity, too, the last couple of days, but the weather guessers say that is about over and the 90-and-above-with-spotty-showers weather is back tomorrow. Yippee.

Bumble Bee and Lady Bug on Coneflowers

"volunteer" Cleomes in the veggie garden

Purple Coneflowers

First cosmos to bloom. Lots more on the way...

Hydrangeas.

Rose of Sharon.

There are three spaghetti squash so far. At least, that's how many I saw. There may be more hiding in there. They aren't near ready yet. This is the first time I have tried growing spaghetti squash. I hope they do well...

Spaghetti Squash!

Corn! And tomatoes, and basil, and dill.

A few ears of corn are forming, silk is showing. I am so excited! It is special corn bred to grow in containers. Looks like it is working!

Corn tassels

Zinnia - candy tuft

Zinnias

the first zucchini of 2013

I did find another zucchini today. It needs another day or two. I'll try not to forget it and let it become a giant monster. Some beans are showing, too. Yummy summer produce!

First Zucchini of 2013

As I understand it, the rainy days have kept the pollinators off work lately, so some plants are a little slow to set fruit. I am hoping the current sunny spell will correct that and more squash is on the way, along with the ripening of the green tomatoes.

Meanwhile, I found this one zucchini and a few small ripe tomatoes...

So I sliced them up and made a little dinner:

1 medium zucchini, cut into chunks
2 small tomatoes, cut into chunks
olive oil
2-3 Tbls pesto, to taste
1-2 oz. fresh mozzarella, cut into small bite-size pieces

Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in frying pan (enough to coat pan bottom) over medium-high heat, stir in pesto, then stir in zucchini. Saute for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add 1/3 cup water and cover. Reduce heat to medium and let cook about 5 minutes. Uncover. Add tomatoes and continue cooking until desired degree of tenderness.

Divide mixture onto two plates. Sprinkle mozzarella bits onto each--it will melt a little from the residual heat. Mmm...

(Yes, I made the pesto with fresh basil from my garden a couple weeks ago. But you could use store-bought.)

Serves two as a side dish.

Flowers in the Rain

Let me be very clear: I like rain. I have always enjoyed rain. Thunderstorms or rainbows, love it. I really appreciate not having to water the garden, even beyond my appreciation of rain for its own sake. I do think that a few consecutive days of sun without rain might be in order about now. Just a few. 1.75 inches yesterday (plenty of which ended up in my basement thanks to the Melvin crew, whose company shall remain nameless, that failed to properly install my new downspout last summer). Sprinkles today, more predicted for tomorrow. Really, the tomatoes are crying for some dry. Not to mention my sneakers.

But, I promised flower photos, and flower photos I shall show!

I'll start with the coral rose that came with the house, that blooms twice a year, no matter what abuse I, the weather, and whatever workers might be hired for household maintenance do around it. I am really more of a no-effort knock out rose person, and I do not baby this rose (although I did dig it out then replant it, along with the herb garden and coral bells, when I had the drainage work done at the back of the house a couple summers ago), but I do stop to appreciate it every time it blooms. It is beautiful.

the bud

the rose - always just one bloom

Lots of flowers around the hummingbird feeder seem to be working. I do have regular visits from hummers, not a big crowd, but that's okay. Sometimes I get to watch the little guys fight. It seems kind of silly, since there are plenty of spots at the feeder, but it is what they do, and it is actually quite entertaining.

Some perennial and some annual flowers. I always plant some red salvia, even though they are not my favorite, because I know the hummingbirds love them. My butterfly bush came back this year, has grown quite a bit, and just looks great. I am very happy.

hummingbird stopping for a snack before the rain

bee balm

cleome - a nostalgic must-have

morning glory bud

the morning glories covering the pea tunnel

morning glory

day lilies

day lilies

Easter lilies

bee balm and cleome 

 

cosmos and volunteer dill

asiatic lily

zinnia buds

oak leaf hydrangea

Add caption

shasta daisy

hostas in bloom

hydrangeas

happy returns lilies

oak leaf hydrangea

jasmine

jasmine - smells so good I had to buy it, so glad it happily overwinters in the shed!

evening primrose - I have no idea why people complain about these spreading

astilbe

Thinking About Posting

Wow! Can't believe it has been almost a month since my last post. I have been taking pictures and working in the gardens, just haven't been posting. I vow to do better for the rest of the summer!

Looking back over the photos I have between my last post and today, I can see they have all come a long way. God's creation never ceases to amaze me. Over the next couple weeks, I will examine more closely some of the details of progress of some of these plants. For now, some pictures of vegetables and berries from the last few days.

This spring and early summer have definitely been ideal conditions. I hope such continues through the growing and harvest seasons. The local farmers have had it rough in recent years.

In the meantime, the morning glories have taken over the pea tunnel and spirals, and have attempted to take over the world. I am still pulling out about a dozen seedlings daily (down from hourly a couple weeks ago). I will be much more diligent about collecting the seeds this fall.

Peas are done and summer veggies are well on the way. I went through and marked approximate harvest dates on the Farmers Almanac calendar in the kitchen. Patty pan, zucchini, and summer squash have another week or two to go. I have picked a few cherry tomatoes and one regular tomato, but those were from plants I bought, not from the direct-sown seeds. I planted a variety of tomatoes, so I should have a steady harvest provided the weather holds. Good rain so far this year, so I've only had to water the gardens a couple times and the containers a couple more.

patty pan

green tomatoes (bought plant) and plants (direct sown)

The beans are getting flowers:

Corn seed package doesn't show an approximate harvest time. I'm sure I'll figure it out. It is definitely more than "knee high by the 4th of July"!

Fighting deer, bunnies, birds, squirrels, etc. in the berry patch. Somebody got to my red currants the day before I planned to harvest. Grrr. I mixed in some blackberries and got one jar of jam made. Yummy.

I surrounded the hazelnut patch with Deer Scram. With all the rain, I'll have to re-apply soon. I may trade off with Irish Spring or Bounce to keep them on their toes. This is the first year I've seen this many nuts this well-developed. 

And just because these look so great, I have to share--pots of sage and dill: